Mali: Military, Others To Hold Transition Talks This Weekend

Malian military which seized power from President Keita through coup last month is set to hold transition talks with political parties and civil society groups this weekend.

And official of the Mali Junta revealed this on Tuesday.

The coup which saw President Keita arrested alongside some of his cabinet members has seen Mali’s neighbours and France Cal for a quick transfer of power.

The military rulers this time around is inviting the June 5 Movement, which spearheaded a protest movement that led to the toppling of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

The movement was not invited for transition talks last Saturday when the junta called off discussions at the last minute.

The June 5 group has demanded that the military rulers give it a role in the transition to civilian rule which the military has promised, without setting a timetable.

Mali’s influential imam Mahmoud Dicko, a key player in the mass opposition protests that led to Keita’s ouster, said the junta did not have “carte blanche”.

“We will not give a blank cheque to anyone to run this country, that’s over,” he said.

“We led the fight,” he said. “People have died and the soldiers who have completed (this fight) must keep their word.”